Furnace construction



Aug. 27, 1935. L. H. HOSBEIN FURNACE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 17, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 27, 1935. L. H. HOSBEIN FURNACE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 1'7, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IE. Q K

Patented Aug. 27, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FURNACE CONSTRUCTION of Illinois Application March 17,-

20 Claims.

This invention relates to the construction of large furnaces, such as boiler furnaces, and has to do primarily with an improved construction of easing or sheathing appropriate for use in such furnaces to form an exterior finish or covering for the heat-confining furnace chamber walls.

In varioustypes of large furnaces, the heatconfining furnace chamber walls are formed of' refractories or other materials or elements which at the outside of the heat-confiningwall may presentan unfinished appearance and a more or less rbugh or irregular form which affords lodgment for accumulations of dust and dirt. It is frequently desirable to encase such walls for the purpose of giving the installation a more finished external appearance. It is frequently desirable also to provide the furnace walls with an exterior sheathing for the purpose of forming an enclosed air space outside the heat-confining wall, to admit of a controlled circulation of air over the exterior surfaces of the latter for the purpose of holding down its temperature and cooling its supporting members and conserving, for utilization elsewhere, the heat abstracted by the cooling air. To admit of inspection and repair with facility, it is desirable that any of various portions of such casings or wall sheathings be susceptible of removal and restoration easily and quickly from the exterior of the furnace, without involving extensive dismantling of the structure.

Relatively thin metal plates have been used in many instances for forming such casings, the plates being connected to one another and to the wall frame by means of bolts seated in holes along the margins of the conjoined plates. Due to unavoidable variations as between the structure as designed and as installed, and the practical difficulties of working to very close tolerances in the fabrication of the frame members and casing plates, it frequently occurs that the punched plates do not match with the frame members and with one another with the desired accuracy, and hence trouble is frequently experienced in assembling a structure, particularly as to the proper registration or alignment of the bolt holes in parts which are tobe connected to each other. The present invention has a general object the provision of a wall casing or sheathing construction which can be assembled entirely from the exterior of the installation with facility, and from which any of its various sections may be removed and replaced with equal facility from the outside, and which is of such character as to allow of quite liberal tolerances in the fitting to- 1933, Serial No. 661,308

gether of its parts, so that the usually expected variations of the installation from the pre-design may be accommodated.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such a casing construction which will present a smooth and regular exterior, such as to give the installation a finished appearance and minimize opportunity for the collection or lodginent of dust or dirt upon it.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of such a casing 01" sheathing construction which may be supported sectionally on the wall supporting-frame in association with the heateonfining wall such as effectively to cover and conceal the latter, and, if desired, form an ena closed air space outside of the same.

Yet another object is the provision of such a casing or sheathing. construction which may be so assembled and supported on the wall supporting frame in such fashion as to cover or confine the furnace chamber wall yet leave the principal load-supporting members of the frame exposed to external air for cooling effect.

Other and further objects will be pointed out or indicated hereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon an understanding of the invention or its employment in use.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification I show, and hereinafter describe, certain structural embodiments of the invention, but it is to be understood that these are here presented merely by way of illustration, and hence are not to be construed in any fashion calculated to limit the appended claims short of the true and most comprehensive scope of the invention in the art.

In said drawings,

Fig. 1 is an exterior elevational view of a portion of a furnace Wall casing embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transversesectional elevation of a portion of a furnace wall embodying the invention, the section being taken on approximately line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective detail illustrating a portion of the assembly, as viewed from the interior side;

Fig. 4 is an elevational detail in the nature of an elevational section taken aDD y 011 line 4-4 of Fig. 1, but on a slightly larger scale;

Fig. 5 is another sectional elevational detail, taken on approximately line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional detail, taken on approximately line 6'-6 of Figs. 1 and 2, showing the sectioned parts in their assembled relationship;

Fig. '7 is a detail similar to Fig. 6, but showing some of the parts in the relationship which may occur in the process of assembling; and

Figs. 8 and 9 are perspective views of spanner members.

The general character of the invention having been indicated above, a further understanding of it may be had most quickly by a consideration of the particular illustrative embodiments shown in the drawings, which will now be described.

The reference numeral l0 designates upright frame members or columns, here shown in the form of rolled I-sections, it being contemplated that a number of said members are arranged in parallel spaced relationship along the furnace and, in the installation here shown, that they constitute the main load-carrying members'of a sectionally supported refractory furnace wall, portions of which are designated by the reference numeral 1 I in Fig. 2. It is to be understood that this furnace chamber wall may be of any of various types or constructions, but for purpose of illustration, it is here shown as of the type described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,747,822 to Raymond D. Foltz and No. 1,767,406 to Frank I. Sheahan, the wall refractories being carried on hangers l2 which are supported by and laterally of the members I0 through the medium of transverse frame members it which are connected to the latter and extend horizontally along the wall. It is also to be understood, however, that the casing construction herein described and claimed may be employed in other forms of installations wherein the furnace chamber wall is supported independently of the frame members which carry the casing.

Attached to the frame members ID are positioning members 15. For convenience and for uniformity and interchangeability of parts, the center-to-center intervals of the successive frame members I0 preferably are uniform, and the ver tical spacing of the positioning members I5 is also uniform. In the'installation here illustrated the Vertical spacing of the positioning members I5 correspond with the vertical spacing of the transverse frame members M, the positioning members, together with the transverse frame members, being rigidly secured to the upright frame members I!) by the bolts Hi, there being two of said bolts passing through each of the positioning members and securing it to the inner flanges of one of the upright frame members ID.

The form of the spacing members is most clearly shown in Fig. 3. It will be observed that they include rest portions l5 which project laterally beyond the margins of the frame member 10, said projecting portions being pierced and countersunk as at W for accommodation of bolts and bolt heads. The positioning members are also formed with upstanding stop portions l5, which terminate short of the margins of the frame member l0, and with downwardly extending stop portions l5 In the assembly illustrated, the positioning members [5 are interposed between the frame members lll and I4, so as to space the latter from the former.

The positioning members l5 form rests for the casing panels. The casing panels are here illustrated ascomprised each of an exterior metal plate 11 and an interior sheet or board I! of heat insulating material. It is to be observed, however, that the casing panel may be formed of either a plate alone or of an insulating sheet panels.

or board alone. The width of a panel is somewhat greater than the distance between the margins of proximate flanges of adjacent frame members Ill so that, when the panel is positioned at the inner sides of the flanges, it .will overlap them for a substantial distance. The width of a panel is, however, substantially less than the distance between the stop members 15 of positioning memberson said adjacent frame members ID, by an amount sufiicient to permit one lateral margin of the panel to pass inwardly past the flange of one of said frame members when the opposite lateral margin of the panel is in abutment with the stop member l5 on the adjacent frame member ID. The height of the panel is slightly less. than the vertical distance between the rest portions [5 of the vertically adjacent positioning members. Thus av panel may be inserted into position upon positioning members l5 by inserting its left hand lateral margin behind the lateral flange of a frame member Ill at the left to a distance permitting the right hand lateral margin of the panel to clear the flange of the frame member 10 at the right of it, moving the right hand margin of the panel inwardly past the flange of said frame member In, and then sliding the panel rightwardly on the support portions l5 until it overlaps the inner face of the flange of the right hand frame member l0. When so positioned, the panel is supported on the support portions l5 of the positioning members on the adjacent frame members II]. By having the outer vertical flanges of the members It of sufficient height, they will serve as guides for the upper and lower margins of the panel in the operation of inserting it.

In order to draw the lateral marginal portions of the panel into close abutment with the inner surfaces of the flanges of the frame members In, and hold them there, I provide holding means or spanner members l8.' These are rigid plates, each having two bolts l9 fixedly secured therein and extending perpendicularly therefrom. The spanner members are of sufficient width to overlap the adjacent margins of juxtaposed casing The bolts I9 are disposed to one side of the median line of the spanner member, and one of the inner flanges of each of the frame members I0 is punched to provide holes for reception of the bolts l9. It is contemplated that the spanner members will be mounted on the frame members I!) before the wall panels are inserted, the nuts of the bolts l9 being sufficiently slack to afford enough excess space between the members [0 and the spanner members l8 to admit of the insertion of the panels between them with facility, as above described, and as illustrated for example in Fig. '7. After both juxtaposed panels have been properly positioned, the nuts are set up on the bolts l9 so as to cause the spanner members to firmly clamp the panels against the member l0. sembly here illustrated, the spanner members l8 are supplemented by a strip of insulating board I8 disposed against their outer faces and traversed by the bolts [9, but it is obvious that this insulating stripmay be dispensed with.

For securing the upper and lower margins of the casing panels I provide the spanner members 20 and the battens 22, both of sufficient width to overlap the adjacent margins of vertically juxtaposedpanels. The spanner members 20 are rigid plates, each having a pair of bolts 2| fixedly securcd therein and extending perpendicularly therefrcm. As observed in Fig. 1, after vertically adjacent panels are inserted, there remains a sub- In the asstantlal gap between the lower margin of the upper panel and the upper margin of the subjacent panel. Through this gap a suitable number of spanner members 20 are inserted from the outside, as by inserting the lower margin of the spanner member behind the upper margin of the lower panel to an extent sufficient to permit the upper margin of the spanner member to clear the lower margin of the upper panel, and then moving the spanner member upwardly so that its upper margin will overlap the upper panel. The spanner members 20 being so inserted, their bolts 2! project outwardly beyond the outer faces of the wall panels, and in conjunction with the outer vertical flange of the associated frame member I 3, prevent the spanner members falling down behind the panel. A strip, or sections, ofheat insulating board 24, of proper width to fit in the gap between the panels and provided with holes properly spaced to receive the bolts 2|, is then .applied, such bolts being inserted through the holes in the strip, and the strip being inserted in the gap so that it rests on the upper edge of the lower panel. Thus the strip serves to align the spanner members 29 and to determine their spacial relationship. The batten 22 is now applied, same being provided with holes to accommodate passage of the bolts 2| of the aligned spanner members. At its ends the batten is secured to the projecting portions of the positioning members l5, inthe apertures 15' of which bolts 25 have been preliminarily inserted before the bolting up of the positioning members and frame members I4 and Ill. The nuts are applied to the bolts 25 and 2| and set up tightly, thereby firmly clamping the juxtaposed margins of the panels between the batten and the spanner members 20 and securing said margins of the panels in alignment with the positioning members 15.

Thus the casing may be assembled rapidly and with facility from the outside,panel by panel, the work preferably progressing from bottom upwardly and from left to right. Any panel may be removed with equal facility. In such operation, the nuts are removed from the bolts 2| and 25 along both the upper and lower margins of the selected panel, the battens 22 and filler strips 24 and spanner members 20 removed outwardly, and the nuts on the bolts I!) at both sides of the panel slacked off sufficiently to free the panel from the clamping cooperation of the spanner members I8 and allow it a suitable latitude of movement between said spanner members and the flanges of the frame members I0. Thereupon the panel may be shifted leftwardly on the positioning members until its right hand margin clears the flange of the adjacent member I0, whereupon the right 'hand margin of the panel may be swung outwardly past said flange, the panel then shifted rightwardly until its left hand margin clears the flange of the left hand frame member l0. Such removal of the panel affords access to the space and furnace wall portions behind it, all of the ad- J'acent wall panels meanwhile remaining in their normal assembled positions. A panel so removed may be easily and quickly replaced as in the manner above described.

It will be observed that in the designing of a structure of this character, quite liberal overlaps of the panels with respect to frame members In may be allowed, so that variations of the installation from the pre-design mayv be accommodated in a quite liberal range. The only punchings which have to be at definite spacingare those for the pairs of bolts on respective spanner members and those at the ends of the battens for reception of the bolts 25. Regularity in spacing the punchings for the pairs of spanner member bolts is easily maintained and suitable correction of the batten end punching to meet variations in the spacing of the bolts 25 is a very simple matter which may be easily accomplished on the job when necessary. The standardized sizes of spanner members and positioning members may be used with a great variety of panel sizes.

The assembled casing presents a very smooth and finished appearance and an assembly which will maintain tight joints yet afford a desirable flexibility or adjustability of parts affording liberalaccommodation for thermal expansion and contraction. Moreover, by use of the heat insulating material in the particulars above described, the construction affords a very tight heat insulating sheathing.

What I claim is:

1. In a furnace, a wall casing comprising the combination with upright frame members spaced apart lengthwise of the wall, of positioning members disposed at the inner sides of the upright frame members, a wall panel supported on the positioning members and having its lateral marginal portions overlapping the inner sides of the upright frame members, spanner members overlapping inner marginal portions of the panel, and means operable from the exterior of the casing for securing the spanner members in holding cooperation with the panel.

2. In a furnace, a wall casing comprising the combination with upright frame members spaced apart lengthwise of the wall, of positioning members arranged at the inner sides of said upright frame members and spaced apart vertically, wall panels removably supported on the positioning members and spanning the space between the upright frame members, marginal portions of said panels overlapping the inner sides of the upright frame members, spanner members overlapping the inner surfaces of adjacent marginal portions of juxtaposed panels, a batten overlapping the outer surfaces of adjacent marginal portions of said panels, and means operable from the exterior of the casing for holding said batten and spanner members in clamping cooperation with said marginal portions of said panels.

3. In a furnace, a wall casing comprising the combination with upright frame members spaced apart lengthwise of the wall, of positioning members supported on the upright frame members, a panel removably supported on the positioning members on adjacent upright frame mem bers and spanning the space between said upright frame members, lateral marginal portions of said panel overlapping inwardly presented surface portions of said upright frame members, a.batten secured at its ends to positioning members on adjacent upright frame members and overlapping the exterior surface of a horizontal marginal portion of the panel, and means engaging inner surface portions of the panel and cooperating with the batten to clamp horizontal marginal portions of the panel.

4. In a furnace, a wall casing construction as specified in claim3 and wherein said means includes members operable from the exterior of the casing to effect the clamping of the panel.

5. In a furnace, a wall casing comprising the combination with upright frame members spaced apart lengthwise of the wall, of supporting members secured to said upright frame members, a

ginal portion of the panel, and means removably-- secured to said batten for holding the panel against movement inwardly therefrom.

6. In a furnace, a wall casing comprising the combination with upright frame members spaced apart lengthwise of the wall, of positioning members supported on said upright frame members, wall panels removably supported one above the other on positioning members on adjacent upright frame members and spanning the space between said frame members, the upper margin of one wall panel being spaced apart from the lower margin of the superadjacent wall panel, spanner members overlapping inner surface portions of said wall panels and removable through the space therebetween, a batten removably connected at its ends to the adjacent upright frame members and overlapping exteriorly the adjacent marginal portions of said wall panels, and means removably securing the spanner members to said batten.

7. In a furnace, a, wall casing construction as specified in claim 6 and wherein the batten is removably attached at its ends to positioning members on the adjacent upright frame members.

8. In a furnace wall casing, the combination with upright frame members spaced apart lengthwise of the wall, of positioning members supported on the upright frame members, a wall panel removably supported on positioning memb rs on adjacent upright frame members and spanning the space between said frame members, lateral marginal portions of said wall panel overlapping inwardly presented surfaces of said upright frame members, spanner members overlapping inner surfaces of said marginal portions, and means removably connecting said spanner members to said upright frame members laterally of the panel margins, said means being operable from the exterior of the casing to vary the positions of the spanner members relative to the upright frame members.

9. In a furnace, a wall casing comprising in combination, upright members spaced apart lengthwise of the furnace wall, positioning members on the upright members, a panel removably supported on the positioning members and retained by the upright members against outward displacement, and spanner members supported on the upright members for holding cooperation with the panel, and securing means for said spanner members operable from the exterior of the casing to free the panel to permit its be ing shifted laterally and removed outwardly between the upright members.

10. In a furnace wall casing, the combinatio as specified in claim 9 and including battens removably connected with the upright members and overlapping ext eriorly upper and lower marginal portions of the panel.

11. In a furnace wall casing, the combination as specified in claim 9 and including batten members removably connected with the upright members and cooperating with upper and lower marginal portions of the panel, and spanner holding said marginal portions of the panel in association with the battens.

12. In a furnace wall casing, in combination, upright members spaced apart lengthwise of the wall, positioning members supported on the upright members, a wall panel supported on the positioning members and having its lateral margins behind the upright members, said panel being movable laterally on the positioning members to a position in which one of its lateral margins will clear the proximate upright member to permit removal of the panel outwardly between the upright members, and holding members securing the panel against such lateral shifting, said holding members having portions disposed exteriorly of the casing and operable to permit shifting of the panel.

13. In a furnace wall casing, in combination, upright members spaced apart lengthwise of the wall, holding means supported on the upright members at the inside of the casing and having operable portions accessible from the outside thereof, positioning members on the upright members, and a wall panel spanning the space between the upright members and supported on the positioning members, said panel being shiftable laterally to and fmm a position in which its margins may be engaged by'the holding means, and the holding means being operable to secure the panel against such shifting.

14. In a furnace wall casing, in combination, a removable wall panel, upright members supporting the panel and overlapping its lateral margins exteriorly, and holding means cooperating with marginal portions of the panel to hold them in fixed relationship to the upright members, said holding means having portions operably accessible from the exterior of the casing whereby they may be slacked ofi, the panel being shiftable laterally relative to the holding means, when the latter is slacked ofi, to permit one lateral margin of the panel to clear the proximate upright member.

15. In a furnace wall casing, in combination, upright members spaced apart lengthwise of the wall, wall panels supported by said upright members and positioned at the inner side thereof, holding means secured to the upright members independently of the panels for clamping engagement with inner surfaces of the latter, said holding means having portions accessible from the exterior of the casing and operable to free the panels and permit their being shifted laterally relative to the upright members.

16. In a furnace wall casing, in combination, upright frame members spaced apart lengthwise of the wall, transverse frame members connected to the upright frame members and spaced inwardly therefrom, positioning members supported on the upright frame members, wall panels shiftably supported on the positioning members inwardly of the upright frame members and with marginal portions interposed between portions of the latter and portions of the transverse frame members, and holding means secured to the upright frame members for cooperation with the panels to hold them against shifting, said holdthe upright frame members and overlapping por-' tions of the panels interiorly, holding means mounted on the upright frame members and engaging the panels interiorly of the casing to hold them against shifting, said holding means being operable from the exterior of the casing to free the panels, and the panels being shiftable laterally at the inside of the upright frame members to positions permitting their withdrawal outwardly between the latter when the holding means are slacked off.

18. In a furnace wall casing, in combination, upright members spaced apart lengthwise of the wall, positioning members supported at the inner side of said upright members and extending laterally beyond the same, wall panels shiftably supported on the positioning members and overlapping the upright members inwardly, battens secured at their ends to the projecting portions of positioning members on adjacent upright members, said battens overlapping portions of the panels exteriorly, and holding means secured to the battens and holding the panels in abutment with the same and with the upright members, said holding means being operable from the exterior of the casing to free the panels.

19. In a furnace wall casing, in combination, upright members spaced apart lengthwise of the wall, positioning members supported at the inner side of said upright members and extending laterally beyond the same, wall panels shiftably supported on the positioning members and overlapping the upright members inwardly, battens secured at their ends to the projecting portions of positioning members on adjacent upright members, said battens overlapping portions of the panels exterlorly, and holding means secured to the battens and holding the panels in abutmentwith the same and the upright members, said holding means being operable from the exterior of the casing to free the panels.

20. In a furnace wall structure, in combination, upright frame members spaced apart lengthwise the wall, positioning members supported on the upright members and extending inwardly therefrom, transverse frame members secured to the upright members and spaced inwardly therefrom'by the positioning members, a wall panel supported on the positioning members in a plane between the transverse members and upright members and with its lateral margins overlapping the latter inwardly, and holding means connected to the upright. members and overlapping marginal portions of the panel inwardly, said holding means being operable from the exterior of the wall to clamp the panel against the upright members and to free the panel for lateral shifting movement.

LOUIS H. HOSBEIN. 

